TOP BIT
This "Jay-Z is to blame for the Glastonbury ticket slump" story is running and running isn't it - with all sorts of people going on the record to say that the hip hop mogul is or is not the reason the festival goers of this great land are failing to rush, as they have in recent years, to get into the uber-fest.

After Noel Gallagher's little rant last weekend about the foolishness (in his opinion) of putting on hip hop at Glasto, the festival's co-organiser Emily Eavis defended this year's programme, saying she was "honoured" to have secured a star as big (in the US, at least) as Jay, and that all the commentary on him and the slump in ticket demand were "strangely hysterical press reports". Certainly I think the press are seriously exaggerating the link between Jay and slow ticket sales, and personally I'd be much more likely to make the trek West to see Jay-Z than other headliners The Verve or Kings Of Leon - and that's despite having quite a bit of time for both those bands.

But whatever, I can't help thinking all this chatter over the wisdom or not in booking Jay-Z as a headliner is sidetracking us all from a much more interesting story. I mean, when did people start buying Glastonbury tickets based on the headliners? Until very recently Glasto didn't officially announce any of its line-up until very close to the event itself - tickets sold out not on who was playing but because of the attraction of the Glastonbury Festival in itself.

I think the question to ask here has nothing to do with Jay-Z, rather it is this: is the decline in demand for Glastonbury tickets because the uber-fest has lost its appeal, possibly because of the mud, possibly because of perceptions that it has become part of the commercial establishment it once rebelled against, or is the decline in demand a sign that the festival market has finally reached saturation point?

It's possibly a bit of both. But the latter point, if there is any truth in it, would be more interesting. Doom-and-gloom-mongers like me have been speculating for a while, as new music festivals launch week on week, how long the festival industry in the UK can continue to grow before there simply aren't enough ticket buyers to go round.

Perhaps it would make sense that the first people to suffer from saturation point would be the big guys, the festival with the most tickets to sell. Perhaps people who would once have made the effort to go to Glasto are choosing instead to go to a newer, smaller, more local, less muddy festival. Of course other big festivals have sold out this year, and, indeed, Glastonbury may well sell out as yet, but economic logic dictates the festival sector can't keep growing forever - perhaps this story, far from being a sign festival goers don't dig their hip hop, is, in fact, the first sign that market is starting to bubble.

Or perhaps not, I don't know, I just wish the press would stop knocking poor old Jay-Z. Couldn't they put their efforts instead into figuring out whether he and Beyonce did or did not actually get married the other week - as far as I can see we never did find out.

--------------------------------------------------

SNAP OF THE DAY: PIVOT
With the ink barely dry on their contract with Warp records, Australian three-piece Pivot have been wowing UK audiences in the past few weeks with their live show, which continues its limited jaunt across the country over the next few weeks. It comes highly recommended in the SNAP column, for though they don't share the same stage energy as, say, label mates !!!, there's an unbridled intensity to their krautrocking rhythms that incites both ponderous muso beard-stroking and furiously angular 'dancing' in equal measure. With a single out next month and an album out before the end of the year, start your listening with 'Didn't I Furious' which, incidentally, is available as a free download at the link below.

http://www.myspace.com/pivotpivot

--------------------------------------------------

CHRYSALIS SALE IS OFF
Chrysalis is no longer for sale, everybody. The UK based music firm said yesterday that it had rejected a 155p per share cash offer from one of its preferred bidders, and that all other takeover talks were now off.

As previously reported, having sold off its radio stations to Global Radio last June, Chrysalis let it be known late last year that they were also accepting offers to buy their music businesses - a small record label and distribution company and, much more attractive to potential buyers, a substantial publishing catalogue.

While various parties - mainly major music companies and private equity types - expressed an interest in acquiring the Chrysalis music company, it was widely known that Chairman and significant shareholder Chris Wright, while willing to sell, wasn't desperate to sell, and so would only do a deal if the right price was offered. That said, some experts suggested that changes in UK capital gains tax laws, which would have a negative impact on Wright's personal profits from any sale, might persuade him to accept an offer below his original expectations if, because of the tax law change, a quick sale would still make him better off. But no quick sale came before the tax change came in at the start of the month.

Chrysalis wouldn't reveal who made the 155p per share offer yesterday, nor what price the music company themselves were looking for. Though the company's CEO, Jeremy Lascelles, did tell Billboard that the 155p offer, which would have valued the whole company at £104 million, was "woefully short" of what the company's board were looking for. In their official statement on the matter Chrysalis admitted that they accepted that that there "credit crunch" had affected how much bidders were willing to offer, implying that - given we already know Wright wasn't in any rush to sell - they'd rather wait for less tricky economic times when much bigger cash offers may be made.

--------------------------------------------------

DOHERTY TAKING DRUGS IN KLINK, SAYS TABLOID
The Sun has published pictures of Pete Doherty taken in prison, which show him sitting in his cell and talking to other inmates on a landing, and has also claimed that the singer has been taking heroin whilst serving his previously reported fourteen week sentence in the detox unit at Wormwood Scrubs.

According to reports, Doherty is being given methadone, but is apparently taking heroin, as well as the substitute, whilst in prison. Well, he wouldn't be the first jailbird to do that. A Prison Service spokesman told the tabloid: "We will act on any intelligence which indicates drugs are being smuggled or abused".

--------------------------------------------------

+44 DRUMMER SETTLES ENERGY DRINK DISPUTE
+44 and former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker has settled that previously reported lawsuit against Rockstar energy drinks in which he claimed the brand, by publishing a photo of him drinking one of their drinks on their website and implying some kind of endorsement, were guilty of invasion of privacy, unfair competition and misappropriating his likeness. The agreement was reached in the LA Superior Court on Friday, though specifics of the deal are not known, and may be still being worked out, because Barker's lawyer, Gregory Weisman, told the Associated Press that both parties were still finalising the finer details of the settlement.

--------------------------------------------------

THE KILLS PISS OFF BARCELONA HOTEL STAFF
According to The Mirror, The Kills have been behaving badly on the continent. The duo apparently upset staff at the hotel they were staying at in Barcelona by holding a noisy party in their room, and, after repeated requests that they keep the noise down, the staff called the police.

The band's Alison Mosshart, explaining that they had been filming a video in the suite, is quoted as saying: "They demanded the tapes. They were called because we woke up some silly bastard who couldn't take her hands off the phone to the front desk".

A source said: "It sounded like they were having a riotous party, with shrieking and laughing. It was the early hours and people weren't impressed. The police thing was a massive over-reaction but no one was arrested".

I'm not sure it is an overreaction. I think people should be arrested for disturbing other people's sleep.

--------------------------------------------------

KEYS CLARIFIES GANGSTA RAP COMMENTS
Alicia Keys has issued a statement clarifying her recent comments regarding gangsta rap, and allegations that US government officials somehow fostered the genre in a bid to cause tensions among the black community. Her previously reported conspiracy theory was revealed in an interview with US music mag Blender.

However, Keys has said she feels her points were misinterpreted and/or misrepresented by the magazine. In a statement issued by her label, Keys says: "My comments about 'gangsta rap' were in no way trying to suggest that the government is responsible for creating this genre of rap music. The point that I was trying to make was that the term was oversloganized by some of the media causing reactions that were not always positive. Many of the 'gangsta rap' lyrics articulate the problems of the artists' experiences and I think all of us, including our leaders, could be doing more to address these problems including drugs, gang violence, crime, and other related social issues".

So there you go, that's that cleared up. Though a spokeswoman for Blender, Kate Cafaro, told the Associated Press yesterday "we stand by our story", so, perhaps the matter isn't completely resolved.

--------------------------------------------------

BRIAN FERRY'S SON CHARGED WITH ROBBERY
Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry's son Otis has been charged with robbery and common assault after (allegedly) seizing camera equipment from two women who were attempting to film the Heythrop Hunt in Gloucestershire last November. The women were investigating possible breaches of the hunting ban, which outlaws hunting with dogs, of course.

This isn't the first time Ferry Jr has been in the news in relation to hunting matters, of course. Back in 2004, he and a number of friends broke into the House of Commons to protest the hunting ban. "I would be happy to die for my cause", he later told The Telegraph, though we note as yet he has not. Perhaps he meant "I would be happy to get arrested for my cause".

"We were pulled over by two guys flashing a police badge at three in the morning on an Italian motorway", explains guitarist and lead vocalist Dave Martin. "One of them came to the window with a gun in his holster, yelling in aggressive Italian. He asked to see our passports and if we had guns or drugs. The whole crew was searched and in the ensuing confusion they ran off with the night's takings. It was a very slick operation and sickening to lose so much cash".

The band will be back in the UK for more tour dates next week, but don't be getting any ideas, any CMU-reading conmen out there:

LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION FLIES HOME SICK
Lightspeed Champion has been forced to cancel the remainder of his European tour and two planned shows at this weekend's Camden Crawl after being taken seriously ill in Switzerland.

Posting on his official website http://www.lightspeedchampion.com, he said: "I got taken to hospital in Switzerland as I couldn't walk. It turned out an infection that had started in my tooth had slowly spread throughout my body and made it's way down to my ankles, rendering them useless except for the art of excruciating pain. So I got flown straight back to London, wheelchaired around an airport and here I am at my parents house about to take some hard (prescribed) drugs".

All other scheduled tour dates, including those supporting We Are Scientists, are still expected to go ahead as planned.

--------------------------------------------------

MOUNTAIN GOATS MAN "NOT GOING TO DIE"
Elsewhere in musical illnesses news, the frontman of folk-rock types The Mountain Goats, John Darnielle, has posted on his band's website in an attempt to stop rumours about the state of his health spreading out of control.

Darnielle: "I thought I would let you know how things are with me, if I can somehow split the difference between remaining a somewhat private person and wanting to talk directly to the people who're kind enough to lend an ear to my music. So first, let me assure everybody that I don't have anything terminal or anything. I am facing some chronic health stuff, to which I'll need to learn to adapt. But I'm not going to die or anything. Members of the Darnielle family, historically speaking, live to be frightfully old. The most I'd like to say about my health is that I and some doctors are tinkering under the hood, and I'll be firing on all eight pretty soon".

GREEN DAY THINGY TRACKS AVAILABLE
Six tracks from Green Day's previously reported alternative project The Foxboro Hot Tubs have been made available for download from http://www.foxborohottubsdownload.com at a price of $5.49. They're expected to give their album, 'Stop Drop And Roll', which briefly appeared as a free download in Dec, a full physical release next month.

--------------------------------------------------

CHARLIE SIMPSON AND BROTHERS FORM NEW BAND
Fightstar's Charlie Simpson and his brothers, Will Simpson of Brigade and Edd Simpson of Prego, have revealed to Rock Sound that they plan to form their own band, Once Upon A Dead Man.

"We've been told that there's nothing like brothers' voices harmonising so it'd be interesting to see if that's true", said Charlie.

Don't expect to hear anything from this project any time soon, though. Fightstar are set to release their third album before the end of the year and Charlie also plans to record a solo record. Will and Edd Simpson, meanwhile, have also both said that they want to find success with their own bands before they commit to this new project. So chances are we'll never hear about it ever again. No, only joking, I'm sure they're all going to be huge.

Talking about all these projects, Charlie said: "I think the next Fightstar album will be something quite different. My aim is to make something that's the equivalent of what Silverchair did with 'Neon Ballroom'. Retain what Fightstar's about but play with a lot of strings and sounds. I'm going to New York next week and after that we're going to start writing and hopefully have the album out by the end of this year. We might be looking at an October release. Then the Simpsons collaboration will probably be 2010. Before that I want to do a solo acoustic album - a sort of Pete Vorn sort of thing".

Fightstar's latest single 'Floods' is out now.

--------------------------------------------------

STROKES MAN TURNS PRODUCER
The Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr has produced a track for up and coming New York band The Postelles. The song, entitled '123 Stop', will be released at some point in the next few weeks, but there's no more specific news than that. Hammond Jr, meanwhile, is set to release a second solo album, 'Como Te Llama', later this year.

--------------------------------------------------

BOB DYLAN PENS CHILDREN'S BOOK
Bob Dylan has written a children's book called 'Forever Young', which is apparently a "heartwarming and meaningful story about the importance of doing good". So that's nice. The 40 page picture book is aimed at children three and up and will be in shops from 6 Oct.

--------------------------------------------------

WINEHOUSE BEGINS WORK ON BOND SONG
Amy Winehouse has reportedly begun work on the theme song for forthcoming James Bond film 'Quantum Of Solace' with producer Mark Ronson, even though there has, as yet, been no official word on who will be doing the theme this time round. The singer has, according to The Sun, set up camp at Ronson's house in Henley, Oxfordshire where the pair are writing the song. The film is scheduled for released in the UK on 31 Oct.

--------------------------------------------------

RADIO 3 DEDICATES WEEKEND TO CHOPIN
Radio 3 are planning to broadcast everything ever written by Frederic Chopin in one weekend, from 17-18 May, to celebrate the life and work of the composer, who died in 1849 at the age of 39. It's not the first such tribute; similar weekend stints have honoured the likes of Beethoven, Bach and Tchaikovsky.

The Chopin Experience will explore the composer's revolutionary influence on piano music, the influence of Polish folk music on him, and how his work continues to influence Polish music. It will feature performances of his set of 24 Etudes, to be aired in unbroken sequence.

--------------------------------------------------

TENNENT'S MUTUAL LAUNCHES IN SCOTLAND
Tennent's Mutual, a new music sponsorship initiative launched by Tennent's Lager yesterday, aims to shake up the Scottish music scene by creating a new musical democracy. No really, it's true.

The lager manufacturer has invested £150,000 in the project, and anyone who signs up at www.tennetsmutual.com before 30 Jun will be able to have a say in how that money is spent, ultimately creating The Tennent's Mutual live programme, which will begin in October. Members will select artists, debate locations for gigs and call the shots on ticket prices by interacting as a community and voting for their preferences online - ultimately creating new and affordable access to live music in Scotland. Hurrah.

Figures from across the music spectrum have come on board with The Tennent's Mutual to offer music fans their counsel on a voluntary basis on all aspects of programming - including Rolling Stones svengali Andrew Loog Oldham, Babyshambles guitarist Drew McConnell, journalist and broadcaster Keith Cameron, former Scots chart-topper and Stow college music guru Ken McCluskey (The Bluebells), plus local label champions Stewart Henderson (Chemikal Underground) and Johnny Lynch (The Fence Collective).

George Kyle, Head of Sponsorship at Tennent's Lager says this: "There's absolutely nothing else out there like The Tennent's Mutual. But the ethos behind it definitely reflects what music fans want right now. Who knows what gigs will happen and where - the point is that it's up to the fans to decide, which is a tremendously exciting step. Ultimately we want people the length and breadth of Scotland to get involved in a great music debate and for their collective viewpoint to be heard as loudly as possible".

--------------------------------------------------

IGGY FOR GET LOADED
Iggy & The Stooges have been confirmed as headliner's for this year's Get Loaded In The Park. More acts are expected to be announced shortly for the Clapham Common event, which takes place on 24 Aug.

--------------------------------------------------

MOTLEY ANNOUNCE CRUE FEST
Motley Crue have announced plans for their inaugural Crue Fest, a North American touring event which appears to be modelling itself on Ozzfest. The rockers appeared at a press conference in LA yesterday and announced that they'll be joined by Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx's Sixx:AM and Trapt for a 41 date tour of the US and Canada this summer, starting 1 July in West Palm Beach Florida. Despite some recent intra-band tensions, all four original Motley Crue members - Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Tommy Lee and the aforementioned Sixx - will appear. Lee says: "Hopefully it'll be like Ozzfest and carry on for years".

--------------------------------------------------

ENTER SHIKARI TO PLAY SECRET SHOW
So, it's the venue that's a secret, not the fact that it's happening. If that was a secret, we blew it, really, didn't we? Enter Shikari are to play one of these 'secret shows' this Friday as part of the whole Camden Crawl shenanigans. Fans have to register for the gig, and you know, have to meet at a certain location and be taken to the venue, etc. It's one of those organised with the help of MySpace - see http://www.myspace.com/secretshowsuk.

--------------------------------------------------

MAJOR LABEL TOP EXEC SHUFFLES
Nick Gatfield has stepped down as President of Universal's Island Records UK, and is almost certainly about to take up the role of Head Of A&R for North America and the UK over there at EMI.

Since Terra Firma chief Guy Hands' much previously reported revamp of the top level executive team at EMI, former Warner Music boss Roger Ames has headed up the A&R operation in those regions. It is unclear what Gatfield's appointment means for him, though some say he will remain in a senior but less hands on role at EMI US/UK.

Meanwhile, Billboard has reported that Island UK execs Darcus Beese and Ted Cockle will today be announced as co-Presidents of the division, taking over from Gatfield. Beese is currently Director of A&R for Island, while Cockle is Marketing Director.

--------------------------------------------------

TESCO GOES DRM-FREE
Tesco is the latest download seller to go DRM-free. The supermarket giant has announced that its online digital music services will start selling music in MP3 formats without digital rights management technology from next month. Previously the Tesco download store only sold music in Windows Media formats - which meant their music would not play on iPods.

The move into DRM-free will come as the retail giant looks to expand its digital entertainment offer, under the banner of Tesco Digital. Commenting on the shift to MP3s, which, of course, is only possible because of the strategic shift at the major record companies in the last year towards making their music available without DRM, Tesco's Commercial Director Graham Harris told reporters: "We are delighted to be offering our customers MP3 download music for the very first time".

On the retailer's wider digital plans, he continued: "We want to create an exciting and easy-to-use entertainment shop that Tesco customers of all ages and technical ability can use and trust. We're starting out with a comprehensive music offering, but customers can expect downloadable TV and films as well as games to buy very soon. It really is a case of watch this space".

--------------------------------------------------

AMAZON DOWNLOADS HELPING TO EXPAND WIDER DIGITAL MARKET
Talking of DRM-free, research company the NPD Group has said that the arrival of Amazon's digital rights management free MP3 download store in the US has had a positive impact on the wider digital music market. While the Amazon store - whose MP3s are iPod compatible, of course - is a serious competitor for iTunes, NPD say only 10% of Amazon's download customers had previously bought music from the Apple download service.

NPD analyst Russ Crupnick in a statement said in a statement this week: "The fact that Amazon's early growth does not appear to be at the expense of Apple iTunes is a healthy indication that the digital music customer pool can expand into new consumer groups who have not yet joined the iTunes community".

NPD reckon that Amazon is now the second place download seller in the US, though it stresses it's the second biggest "a la carte" digital download service, which presumably enables those who claim subscription based services like Rhapsody and eMusic are second in the US download market to continue to do so.

NPD also revealed that 84% of Amazon's download customers are male, compared to 44% of iTunes, which is perhaps surprising. Perhaps less surprisingly, only 3% of Amazon's downloaders were teens, compared to 18% of iTunes customers, a stat possibly down to the popularity of iTunes pre-pay gift cards as much as the Apple sevice's perceived trendiness among the trend conscious youth.

--------------------------------------------------

THE FILTER SECURES $8.5 MILLION IN FUNDING
The Filter, the music recommendation and content management service, and one of the digital music ventures backed by Peter Gabriel, has reportedly raised $8.5 million in finance, which is always nice. The service - which has elements in it similar to last.fm if I'm not mistaken (though I might be) - is currently at beta stage, and will properly launch later this month. Commenting on the service, Gabriel told reporters: "The Filter is a smart on-line companion - once it knows you, your tastes and your moods, it can discover a treasure for you every time".

--------------------------------------------------

BOLLYWOOD FILMMAKER FORCED TO PAY OUT OVER SOUNDTRACK TO LATEST MOVIE
A Bollywood filmmaker has agreed to pay an ad jingle composer 20 million rupees (about £250,000) after the latter claimed the former had ripped off music he wrote for a Sony Ericcson advert in his latest movie.

Jingle composer Ram Sampath claimed that two songs from Bollywood filmmaker Rakesh Roshan's new movie 'Krazzy 4', which was released last week, stole from his Ericcson ad music. And an Indian court agreed with him, claiming that Rakesh and his brother Rajesh Roshan, who composed the 'Krazy 4' soundtrack, were "prima facie guilty of copyright violations and plagiarism". The judge hearing the case added "to my untrained ear, the music [in the two works] appeared to be similar".

After the courts sided with Sampath, and promptly issued an order blocking the release of the film unless the disputed songs were removed, both parties started negotiating, and have now reached a settlement which will allow the movie to continue to be distributed uncut. As well as the financial pay out to Sampath, the movie's producers, Roshan's company Filmkraft, have agreed to give the ad man credit on the film and its official soundtrack release.

--------------------------------------------------

TAIWAN LAUNCHES NEW IP COURT
The Taiwanese courts have announced they will set up a special appeals court that deals exclusively with intellectual property matters. The new court, due to open in July, would be overseen by judges with particular experience in judging on IP disputes, and would be assisted by IP specialists. The new court follows proactive efforts by the Taiwanese government to crack down on its prolific black market of music pirates, amid increased pressure from Western countries, and especially the US. A change in the country's copyright laws have led to an increase in IP legal actions, which is one of the reasons a more specialist court is required. The new court was praised by the American Institute in Taiwan this week.

--------------------------------------------------

THIS IS FAKE DIY PARTNERS WITH CAMDEN CRAWL
Music website This Is Fake DIY has been confirmed as the 'official digital partner' of this weekend's Camden Crawl. The deal has been put together by online marketing agency Sonic Network, who will work with This Is Fake DIY to create content around the Crawl which will be distributed via Sonic's other content partners.

Commenting on the promotion, Sonic Director Lawrence Cooke told reporters: "This appointment is testimony to the way that Sonic has approached the online market, bringing site build, content creation, and monetization of traffic together in one package. This is the first time advertisers can reach this audience across multiple channels".

--------------------------------------------------

COMMERCIAL RADIO NEWS AWARD WINNERS
Talk radio news anyone? Well, some of these awards went to the talky bits on music stations, so we can call it music media news. It was the IRN News Awards this week, where news and journalism types at commercial radio stations are patted on the back. And the winners were...

Best Sports Coverage: All the Tickets Are in the Wrong Hands - Radio City 96.7

XFM'S JIM GETS JOHN PEEL CONTRIBUTION AWARD
More radio awards, and it was the Celebration Of Music Radio Awards last night, part of the Radio Academy's Produciton 08 conference, and well done to that Jim Gellatly, who I've always called Scotland's answer to John Peel, so it's apt he won the John Peel Award For Outstanding Contribution To Music Radio.

Accepting his award, Xfm Scotland presenter Gellatly said: "This is an amazing honour knowing who's won this in the past. The fact that I've been doing radio only in Scotland and I'm getting an award like this is pretty incredible. I'm dumbstruck really. Thank you to the guys at Moray Firth Radio who gave me that break. Long may XFM as a network and across the UK continue".

Other winners at the awards bash at Indigo in The O2 were Martin Nelson, who won the Scott Piering Award for bridging the gap between the radio and music industries, Parlophone's Kevin McCabe who won the National Plugger Award and Polydor's Tony Myers who won the Regional Plugger Award. The PPL Lifetime Achievement Award, which goes to music types, went to Gary Barlow.

--------------------------------------------------

BARLOW SAYS MUSIC RADIO GOOD, BUT MISSES THE RADIO 1 ROADSHOW
Being at the Production 08 conference to pick up his award, Gary Barlow bigged up the importance of music radio in helping new musicians launch their career, though said he thought the loss of the Radio 1 roadshow had been a bad thing, because such roadshows provided new bands with a great platform to showcase their live skills around the country.

Barlow: "Radio is much more important for musicians than it has ever been due to the lack of other opportunities. Nowadays, with the limitations of television opportunities, I think it's the goal for every songwriter to concentrate on radio. But you can almost count on one hand the opportunities to get [to appear in person] on the radio, unless you start flying round the country. There's not the roadshows any more".

Recalling how useful the Radio 1 roadshow had been to getting Take That out to the regions, he continued: "I don't think they really wanted us at the shows. They didn't want to play our records, but we brought audiences. They asked us to play the places that were the hardest to get to. No one else wanted to go to Falmouth".

--------------------------------------------------

FAITH HILL DENIES PREGNANCY RUMOURS
Country star Faith Hill has been forced to deny pregnancy rumours sparked by the fact that she made the mistake of wearing a flowing black top to the 2008 Country Music Television awards on Monday. A spokesman for the mother of three Hill told Usmagazine.com she "is not pregnant".

Earlier this year, the band posted a MySpace blog, in which they said they don't like being referred to as an indie band. Asked why by Gigwise, drummer Steven Ansell replied: "Because indie bands suck! I mean, indie, if it was what it was years ago then yeah, we'd be an indie band, but now, if you're talking about the Pigeon Detectives, Wombats, The View, The Enemy, then that's what we're talking about, we're not... We'd hate to be considered as on the same type of level as those bands".

Frontwoman Laura-Mary added: "I think more people have realised that now, that we're more kind of rock and punk".

By the way, Blood Red Shoes have an album out this week.

--------------------------------------------------

THE GALLAGHER BACKLASH BEGINS
And back to Glastonbury and Jay-Z and all that nonsense. Hip Hop Connection editor Andy Cowan has hit back at those comments made by Oasis' Noel Gallagher in which he said that hip hop artists appearing at Glastonbury was "wrong".

Cowan told the BBC: "These are the typical reactionary views of a pampered has-been. Having had the grave misfortune of seeing Oasis play Glastonbury in 1995 - a lumpen, turgid mess of a set - Gallagher himself has set the bar very low, and I've no doubt Jay-Z will be a huge success this year".

Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has also pointed out that, despite what Noel Gallagher might think, plenty of hip hop acts have successfully played Glastonbury in the past, including De La Soul, Cyprus Hill and The Roots.